TOC event in Los Angeles on 24 June

As indicated by the new thumbnail on the TOC blog, I will be appearing in Los Angeles for Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors on the 24th, to speak about my forthcoming book, The Reagan Strategy.

Reagan’s strategy for rebuilding America and defeating the ideology of communism to win the Cold War has important lessons for the America of today. Here is the teaser for the event on 24 June:

Today’s world seems to be coming apart at the seams, even here in America. Old political solutions appear increasingly inadequate to correct our problems. Besides growing threats from abroad – radical Islamism, Iran’s pursuit of the bomb, hegemonic activism from China – America herself is reeling from a spate of scandals which have revealed a government alarmingly out of control. Anti-Semitism is rising dramatically in Europe, but incidents of it are on the rise in the United States as well. Attacks on Christians are also increasing around the globe, and freedom of religion is under attack even in America – as are freedom of thought and economic freedom.

The ideas of America’s Founders remain relevant today for analyzing and correcting the situation in which we find ourselves. But the modern president whose lifetime experience can broker the Founders’ ideas for us, and can in general be a useful guide, is Ronald Reagan. Reagan made a 50-year study of both predatory ideologies and the American philosophy of political and economic freedom. He sought to apply the principles he had taken to heart in governing the United States from 1981 to 1989.

Reagan knew and acted on a small set of core principles which should resonate with us today: for example, that the forces of evil are, indeed, evil, and that we must not make concessions to them on principles – but beyond that, they are cowardly when confronted. They are destructive, not constructive; they do not hold the upper hand in a battle for the future of men and women.

He knew that oppressive ideologies are incapable of organizing societies for a viable future. He understood, on the other hand, that releasing human beings to political and economic freedom is the greatest accelerator of human strength and ingenuity, and is certainly the best method of improving everyone’s lot. Freedom is not a luxury; it is a necessity, if we want a society founded on compassion, generosity, and tolerance.

How did Reagan apply these principles to the problems of governing? On June 24, in light of these principles, we will look at his prescription in the 1980s for revitalizing America and winning the Cold War. Our spiritual “malaise” may be worse today than it was in the last years before Reagan was elected president, but the principles in his philosophy of national security and domestic government are timeless.

If you are in the Los Angeles area and can make it, I would love to see you. The registration website for the event is here. If you can’t make it, Doris Wise Montrose of CJHS-LA usually has the video of an event loaded within a few days. The website is here; just go to the “Videos” link.

Logistic info:

Monday, June 24, 2013

7:00 p.m.

Luxe Hotel Sunset

11461 Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90049

As always, many thanks are due to Doris for her energy and organizational skills which make these events possible. For those who like to think ahead, Doris is also planning a panel event in the August timeframe in which the panelists, including TOC, will discuss how the world has changed since the end of the Cold War, and how those changes affect U.S. strategy, the U.S. relationship with Israel, and the future of the Oslo-based peace process. Participants will include author and blogger Rick Richman and Elon Journo of the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights. So get ready to mark your calendars; you won’t want to miss this one.

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